Third Version?

[tubbi07]

Of course they'd deny it. If they'd tell that there would be a third version as early as this point, people would run for bootlegs/roms of Black and White and wait for the third version to be released and slam sales.

It's that or there was a miscommunication. It's way impossible that Unova won't have a third version considering the insurmountable amount of loopholes it has with the plot and gym rosters.

Lenora having a Watchog instead of a Bouffalant? Seriously.

 

[Silktree]

Of course they'd deny it. If they'd tell that there would be a third version as early as this point, people would run for bootlegs/roms of Black and White and wait for the third version to be released and slam sales.

In the past, Game Freak would simply dodge questions about future games. This time a member of the staff actually rejected a rumor that would normally not be commented on at all.

 

[tubbi07]

In the past, Game Freak would simply dodge questions about future games. This time a member of the staff actually rejected a rumor that would normally not be commented on at all.

It's still the same. They have to change their tactics to keep us suspenseful and surprised. :yahoo:

 

[Joshawott]

Did you mean to say the first and second 2012 movies?

For some reason, my mind is still thinking it's 2010.

 

[Tailsfan803]

Well, Wasn't it said that the water type of the musketeer trio was going to be given out via victini movie?

 

[Joshawott]

Well, Wasn't it said that the water type of the musketeer trio was going to be given out via victini movie?

That was just speculation. Keldeo hasn't been officially revealed yet.

 

[Tailsfan803]

Oh, It does make sense that they will be feature in movies though. Im pretty sure meloetta will have her own seperate movie, but yes I do expect another movie this year following up (after)The Victini Movie is done. (In japan anyway)

 

[Joshawott]

Oh, It does make sense that they will be feature in movies though. Im pretty sure meloetta will have her own seperate movie, but yes I do expect another movie this year following up (after)The Victini Movie is done. (In japan anyway)

You can expect because it's been confirmed that this year is the first year with two movies in Japan: "Victini and the Dark Hero: Zekrom" and "Victini and the Light Hero: Reshiram", both on the same day. Although we have no idea if they're going to be a double feature, or what.

However, movies aren't the main way of promoting Pokémon now. Worldwide, Victini is being given out months before the movie(s) air.

 

[VeggiePopper]

Under different circumstances, I would appreciate Game Freak not to develop a third version and that would indeed earn the company much of the credibility they have lost with third versions (milking an installmente with already two games, disrespect to the ones that bought the original game with less features, et cetera).

But this time, with all the advances achieved with Platinum and HGSS it is jarring that in the 5th Generation we're still missing features that were already considered a must in Pokémon games (animated trainers, Battle Frontiers, rematches), so BW does need its third version for those faults to be corrected.

On the other side,I fail to understand the "there's tree event Pokémon left" argument. After all, they are just that, EVENTS. Even if they release a third version, Keldeo, Meloetta and Genesect will still be unobtainable (did Platinum made Arceus and Shaymin catchable in the wild? NO. Did Emerald gave us free Deoxys? Again, no). Nintendo and Game Freak can give us three event Pokémon within two or three years (or even in less time if they want): Movies (I'm hoping for Genesect in 2012's movie), spinoff games (Keldeo for the announced Wii game and Meloetta for a late-2011 Ranger/Mistery Dungeon game, anyone?), Wi-Fi, holidays amd whatnot. If my hypothetical schedule was true, we'd have all the Pokémon handled before late 2012 (which is the date people are speculating for Gen VI's relase provided that BW won't have a third version), so time would be fit and Gen V having only two version IS indeed possible.

To put it in shorter words, I agree with those who think that a third version is still needed for many reasons, but the Pokémon are not one of those reasons.

And for those who want a third version, it's too early to bury your hopes. Ibe said there won't be a third version, BUT he's no Junichi Masuda, so his are not Game Freak's last words. Plus, companies always lie to fuel speculation or when forced to give an answer (like in Ibe's case, who was asked specifically about BW's third version). Like tubbi07 said, it was a PR tactic: he coulnd't avoid the question and saying right now that there is already a 3rd version in development would hurt BW's sales since they haven't even been released outside Japan. So yes, I still think there's strong possibilities that a 3rd version will be released next year (or even late this year).

 

[Tailsfan803]

You♦♦♦Make♦♦♦Perfect♦♦♦Sense

 

[Silktree]

Like tubbi07 said, it was a PR tactic: he coulnd't avoid the question and saying right now that there is already a 3rd version in development would hurt BW's sales since they haven't even been released outside Japan.

How would it have hurt Black and White's sales if Ibe had refused to answer any question about future games? Even if she had acknowledged the existence of a third game, would that have surprised anyone?

Saying that Black and White won't be followed by a third version can't very well be a clever tactic to get unsuspecting fans to buy the main versions, because Ibe had no way of knowing that she would be asked about a third version of all things. It's rather ridiculous to think that she had been prepped by the rest of the company to tell a blatant lie about something that wasn't even relevant to the event.

 

[TM2-Megatron]

Personally, I'm inclined to agree with VeggiePopper in that B&W are ridiculously lacking in re-playability features; and if they're the only portable main series games in Gen V, then this generation will be extremely disappointing. While a Wii game would be nice, it's not a subtitute for a fully-featured 3rd version on a portable system I can carry around with me; and I've only got so much time to sit down in front of the television to play video games, and no desire to play one like Pokemon for extended periods on it.

I was planning to play through White once, and then put it away in favour of Gen IV and III games, probably only picking it up again when a Gen V event was going on. And then going back to Gen V with the 3rd version, which hopefully would've had a more complete feature set.

 

[Silktree]

I think that part of the problem is this consensus that every generation needs to stand in its own right. It's not a bad thing that Black and White don't render Platinum and HGSS completely obsolete; these are all fairly recent DS games that complement each other quite well despite the generational barrier. Why does every single feature in Platinum and HGSS have to be recreated in another third version and remake pair? What would that really accomplish that we don't already have?

Now, the transition to the 3DS would actually be something new, but it will happen in Generation VI anyway (quite possibly sooner than most people seem to think). This is the umpteempth time that the Game Freak staff are reiterating their stance on Black and White being designed for the DS for a reason. It is clear that they don't feel that it is mandatory to "fix" the games by releasing a third version for the 3DS, and it is also understandable that Black and White may be intended to be the last DS installments. This explains why the third version pattern may just be broken as Ibe is claiming.

The problem is with the Generation V Pokémon, which don't have access to Dream World abilities or Move Tutor moves. Then there is Kyurem, which is lacking compared to its brethren. Lastly, Triple and Rotational battles are significantly under-utilized in-game, particularly in the Battle Subway (where they're not available at all). These things could all be better accommodated by a Wii game (which we actually know is being developed) than by a third version. Notice that I don't really count Gym Leader rematches or the Battle Frontier because those things would easily be outclassed by other in-game battle venues in any console battle game, and I'd argue that Black and White already do that with the Sports Dome rematches and Battle Testing facility (not to mention random battles and eventually the United Tower and Global Battle tournaments).

 

[Proxima Centauri B]

This argument is kinda dumb and i think its possible the quote was misinterpreted. People shouldnt be jumping to conclusions about this. Maybe its possible that with the 3DS coming, GF wants to go in a different direction and develop a new generation first. We dont know this now. It is way too early. Its possible plans for a third version havent started yet, but there will be one. Again, we dont know.

 

[Owain]

This argument is kinda dumb and i think its possible the quote was misinterpreted. People shouldnt be jumping to conclusions about this. Maybe its possible that with the 3DS coming, GF wants to go in a different direction and develop a new generation first. We dont know this now. It is way too early. Its possible plans for a third version havent started yet, but there will be one. Again, we dont know.

This is what i believe too, a whole fandom going nuts for a quote that may have been misinterpreted...
we need more patience...

 

[Shiron]

This argument is kinda dumb and i think its possible the quote was misinterpreted.

Not really. It's pretty clear what Ibe said. You might try and argue that Ibe was trying to keep it under wraps, but there's no way to really interpret the quote other than there not being a third version.

Maybe its possible that with the 3DS coming, GF wants to go in a different direction and develop a new generation first.

Yes, which would go along with what was said, and would really make a lot of sense. With the 3DS coming out, it doesn't seem to be the best business decision to spend time and money developing a game for the DS, a system that's going out the door, when they could be developing one for the 3DS instead. However, making their first entry on the 3DS just be another companion version of entries on the DS doesn't send the best company image and makes it seem like they don't care about innovation at all, and I'm sure GF themselves would pretty much prefer for their first games on a new platform to be... well, new. Neither a Gray version or RS remakes would do that, which would leave cutting the 5th gen short and quickly moving onto Gen 6 this time the best option.

Plus, something else that's interesting to notice here is the anime. Lots of people have noticed that it actually seems to be going at a real fast pace. If it keeps going at this pace, it's possible that this arc could be somewhere more near a Kanto-length. Of course, it's also possible that the pace will end up slowing down later on, but it is an interesting coincidence if nothing else that people have been talking about BW being faster paced for a while now and now we find out that it really is quite possible GF isn't planning any more core entries for the 5th gen, which would go along with that and explain it.

We dont know this now. It is way too early. Its possible plans for a third version havent started yet, but there will be one. Again, we dont know.

If there's going to be a third game version, planning definitely would have started for it and they'd likely have quite a bit of work done on it already. Even games like the third version can't just be planned and thrown together in only a few months, after all. By the time one game's released, GF's typically already begun work on the next. In any case though the point is that if we're indeed getting a third version, Game Freak definitely would already have plans for it and have been working on it for a while now. The only thing that's really questionable is whether Ibe was lying to try and keep it a secret for now or if we're really not going to get a third version this time.

 

[Dr. Buni]

I don't care about a third version, but there is two things that I think:

One is: If there is a third version, it will be for DS.
Two is: If there is RSE remakes in Generation V, it will be for DS also.

I never saw a generation in more than one portable and Generation V was created for Nintendo DS, was started on it and it will be finished on it also.

 

[VeggiePopper]

How would it have hurt Black and White's sales if Ibe had refused to answer any question about future games? Even if she had acknowledged the existence of a third game, would that have surprised anyone?

It WOULD hurt sales because if they already[i/] revealed that a third version is on the way before the original pair comes out, people would get the feel that the third release might be close (as third versions are usually announced mere months before release) and thus would like to think about their purchase: it is easier to wait for six months thanto wit for two years. I mean, usually the third version comes out more than 2 years after the original game, and it's usually revealed/announced more or less 6 months before its release. Fans won't wait 2 years to play the game, but if they're told that right now that the third game is coming, they would rethink about wether to buy BW or to wait until the third game, so yes, it would hurt BW's sales in the end.

Sure, it is no surprise that they develop third versions, but they act like it will be a surprise, so they hide it until the time is right. So in the end denying the third game has the same purpose as to not talk about it, which is to make it feel as surprise when the third version is announced.

Why does every single feature in Platinum and HGSS have to be recreated in another third version and remake pair? What would that really accomplish that we don't already have?

Not every single feature, but the ones that improve the games and also are actually generic enough to be incorporated into the whole franchise. I mean, I understand the Pokéwalker and walking Pokémon was exclusive to HGSS (it plays a part of the plot, plus if every new game had to come with a Pokéwalker, prices would raise up), but just tell me why is it good to drop (or why is it bad to keep) things like animated trainers, Battle Frontiers and Leaders rematches? Removing such features does no good to the games, does it?

This is what i believe too, a whole fandom going nuts for a quote that may have been misinterpreted...
we need more patience...

Now that I think of it, the quote came from a Spanish site (it was a Spanish interview, right?), so, it could have been missinterpreted in many different ways:

1. Ibe spoke Japanese through a Spanish translator, and such translator gave the interviewer the wrong words.
2. Ibe spoke Japanese through an English translator, and the translator again, gave the wrong words.
3. Ibe spoke Japanese through an English translator, the translatr did a good job but the Spanish inteviewer was the one who missunderstood the message and uploaded such wrong words to Merristation.
4. Ibe spoke English but due to the language barrier she used herself the wrong words to phrase what she originally meant to say..

So yeah, will it now appears that she denied further Gen V installments, there's also a possibility that she did not actually mean to downright say it will never be a 3rd Gen V game, just something related (like "not for now" or "not for the DS") that got misstranslated during the multilanguage process the interview had to pass through before being disclosed on the web.

As I said before, it would be a fresh change to finally break the "more than two versions" pattern and both the franchise and GF's credibility would go up if such action is taken, but at the same time it would hurt BW as a game because of the features it lacks (missed moment of awesome, anyone?) that can make it a better game.

And finally, the games haven't even been released worldwide, isn't it a bit early to take speculation and casual, non-definitive words, as indisputable truth?

 

[Silktree]

There is a separate interview (in German) with Junichi Masuda and Mana Ibe. No questions about future games were asked, but this shows that Ibe is not an obscure member of the staff.

I don't see how her statement in the Spanish interview could have been mistranslated. She was asked about a third version for the 3DS, and she replied by saying that Black and White are actually the last games of their iteration. That may not be an official announcement, but it's certainly definitive. A simple "Maybe" or "Not right now" would have sufficed as an answer if the purpose had been to dodge the question; no one would have paid any attention to something like that.

The Spanish article is just a highlight of the entire interview, which will be posted soon. Hopefully, it will provide a better context of what was said.

but just tell me why is it good to drop (or why is it bad to keep) things like animated trainers, Battle Frontiers and Leaders rematches? Removing such features does no good to the games, does it?

Nothing would have been wrong with it, but they were trying to do something new. The Gym Leaders were actually incorporated into the plot, only the recurring trainers were given animations (with the obvious focus being the Pokémon, which are animated throughout the battle rather than just at the start), and the post-League rematches were made possible with the Elite Four as well as over 60 trainers who use a variety of Pokémon at the level 60-70 range.

Most of the Battle Frontier facilities are gimmicky, although it is unfortunate that the Battle Factory wasn't carried over. Random battles, the Battle Testing facility, and the eventual Union Tower and Global Union tournaments render a Battle Subway expansion fairly unnecessary.

 

[Owain]

she said they were the last ''entrega'', which primarly used in spanish and Portuguese for delivery, and that basically means that for now they aren't ready for a new game, and that's understandable since BW is still new, and the ''third'' game isn't concluded yet.

but since the translator isn't the most reliable source, it may have chose installment instead of delivery.